This invention relates to harvesters and in particular to grape harvesters of a type using beaters.
Support means to synchronously drive sets of beaters for both sides of vines when harvesting grapes have these sets supported from, for each side, a sub frame which is supported from an uppermost pivot support aligned to rotate about a forward to rearward direction while having a substantially horizontally aligned axis.
Such an arrangement allows for a small amount of relative lateral adjustment with however resultant significant-angular changes in direction of beating action.
These implicitly change as the vines at a location in the row are wider or narrower with resultant loss of beater grape removal effectiveness.
A first problem then is to facilitate the reduction in the possible angular variation in a way that will enable rapid changes to provide for improved efficiency.
The drive of the beater sets on each side of a vine is not so simple.
One problem is to ensure that the beater sets from each respective side act together in unison or in phase so as to move the vine from side to side at substantial speed to effect removal of the grapes.
A second problem results from the need to use flywheels to effect an averaging of drive force from an economic drive motor.
The problem here is that in order to reduce transmission forces over longer distances a flywheel needs to be as close as possible to the output for each set of beaters but in existing arrangements the position of the flywheels has caused problems that have further required constraints in support systems.
A further problem is to provide a mechanical arrangement which is efficient from the point of view of ease of control and secondly cost of implementation and in so far that this involves hydraulic rams, an understanding that hydraulic rams can be used in this application In a way Which would normally not be considered appropriate for collection of fruit for wine making.
The problem is to offer a solution to at least some of these problems or at least offer the public a useful alternative.